A Question of Love
by The Waerloga
Summary: Tenzin and Lin slowly begin to realize how much they rely on one another. Frequently seeing each other, they acknowledge that the love they once felt is still there. Tenzin is torn between Pema and Lin, stubbornly refusing to pick one woman over the other.
1. Chapter 1

The tall, muscular Airbender walked into Republic City's Metalbending Police Force's headquarters. He was looking for a certain Metalbender. He needed to see her, because, well, he just needed someone to listen. Being on the Council was a tasking job, and he knew he couldn't vent his frustrations to Pema. She had enough problems with their fourth child on the way.

A flurry of gray hair caught his eye. "Lin!" he called, raising a hand in greeting. The Police Chief whirled around suddenly, as if she expected someone to attack her. Her facial features softened when she realized it was just Tenzin come for their daily chat. As quick they appeared, she shoved the emotions away and continued on with her work. Tenzin, clothes flowing out behind him, followed her into her office. He strode in only seconds before Lin slammed the door shut.

"For the Avatar's sake, you'd think these people were born purely to annoy me!" she said angrily. Tenzin found his usual seat in front of her desk. He folded his hands in his lap and waited patiently for her to simmer down. "I mean, how many idiots does it take to arrest one suspect! It should take one, two at the very most. Not _five_ and have the hooligan get away. And the papers will report this as my fault. Chief Bei Fong has let yet another criminal escape the clutches of justice; I can see the headlines now! As if last week's screw up wasn't bad enough." The Chief stood facing the wall. She couldn't allow Tenzin to see her face looking like this.

The Airbender got up and put his arm on her shoulder. She tensed a little before she slumped again. The job had really begun to age her. Her hair was black a few months ago, Tenzin realized. He patted her shoulder gently. "Would you like me to make you a cup of tea?" he asked gently.

"No, I don't need tea!" she said furiously. "What I need is a better police force!" Suddenly Tenzin pulled her into an embrace, her face against his chest. His strong arms held firm as she tried to wriggle free. Eventually she calmed down and let him hold her for a while. Lin was perfectly aware that this was no simple friend hug. Tenzin still felt something more, she was sure of it. Hastily she pulled away from his embrace. Chief Bei Fong stood firm before the Airbender. Her face was twisted into an angry scowl.

"Better?" Tenzin asked. Lin shrugged off his concern. She had always recovered from everything that had been thrown at her. She wasn't about to stop now.

"I am fine," she said evenly. "Why did you come here? Certainly not to hear me rant about my life."

He smiled sheepishly, watching Lin's eyes. "I came here to, well, complain about my life. But now I don't want to pile anything more onto your load. I apologize. I should have called in advance." He got up suddenly and walked away, robes flowing around him.

"Tenzin!" Lin yelled.

He turned and looked back, a strange expression on his face. "Yes?"

"Thank you for listening," she said, not quite meeting his eyes.

"Anytime, old friend," Tenzin said softly.


	2. Chapter 2

Lin's home wasn't far from her work. It was within walking distance, actually. She nodded at her second in command as she left. He yelled something at her, but she was too far away to hear it. And there was no way she was stopping now, not tonight. The sun was beginning to set as she made her way through a long series of winding roads, seemingly traveling at random. Once she was sure no one was following her, she headed into Republic City's Cemetery.

Silently, she walked through the endless sea of gravestones. She had walked this path enough times that she didn't even have to look at the names anymore. Lin knew where she was heading. From the bag slung over her shoulder, she produced two candles and a wreath made of metal. It had taken her ages, but she had finally managed all the intricate detail. If it was colorful, instead of gray, it would be indistinguishable from a real wreath. But Lin thought this way would be more sentimental.

"Happy birthday," she whispered, kneeling down next to a grave. She pulled a box of matches from her bag and lit the candles, placing one on the left side and the other on the right. She put the wreath in the middle. The candles were the only light in the cemetery. She was almost peaceful before the sudden urge to cry struck her. The Metalbender shrugged off the emotion. She hadn't cried for ages, and she wasn't about to turn into a blubbering mess now.

She tensed as she heard footsteps behind her, but she didn't look around. She had a suspicion of who it would be. And he was no threat to her. The figure sat next to her, placing his hand on her shoulder. She was almost surprised.

"I didn't think you would remember," she said sadly.

"Of course I would," he said taken aback.

"Tenzin, leave me to mourn in peace," she commanded, but he didn't move. It wasn't that she didn't want him here. She loved him, after all. Lin had taken deliberate measures to make sure she wasn't followed, but of course the Airbender would be able to find her. Tears prickled in her eyes again. It was harder to stop them this time. It was bad enough that her mother had died, but Tenzin remembered, and cared enough to come out tonight.

He reached out and added a few more candles to Toph Bei Fong's grave. Lin was speechless. He had brought candles to pay his respect. A spark of anger flared inside of her grief. Why was he here? He could—should, even—be home with Pema and his children. He wasn't supposed to be here though. That much she could tell.

"Go home to your family," she said suddenly. His controlled face showed some emotion, but Lin couldn't read it. Tenzin let out an aggravated noise. Why did she think that even though their relationship had ended…Why did she think he would stop caring? He would always care about the hard-headed Metalbender.

"I am with family," he said quietly. Lin stared at the ground. Feeling foolish, she turned and hugged him. His hands moved to stroke her head. They sat like that for a long while, completely at peace.


	3. Chapter 3

Korra was roused from her slumber by a loud shout. Instantly, she leapt from her bed, tossing the blankets, and ran downstairs. She was momentarily disoriented. Where was she? What was going on? Zipping down the stairs, she found Tenzin and Chief Bei Fong in the middle of a heated argument. Noticing Korra standing in the doorway, they stopped talking immediately. The Chief's arms were crossed over her chest and she wouldn't look at the Airbender. Tenzin, on the other hand, immediately smiled and welcomed Korra into the kitchen.

"Morning," Korra said, getting the feeling she'd interrupted something personal.

"Hello, Korra. Did you sleep well?" Tenzin asked, shooting discreet glances at the Metalbender as if to say 'act natural.'

"Yes," she said simply, not wanting to be in their presence any longer than necessary. "Hello, Chief," she said. Lin Bei Fong merely grunted. She had no time for the Avatar's idle babble.

"Hello," she said stiffly. "Tenzin, we will continue this chat later." And then she was gone. Tenzin's shoulders slumped and he let out a long sigh. Korra raised her eyebrows, silently questioning him. He waved her off.

"It's nothing. Just a little…trouble."

"Trouble?" Korra asked. "Where? I can help Tenzin!"

"N-no, not that kind of trouble," he said. Was Korra seeing things, or was Tenzin actually blushing? The Avatar slowly smiled.

"Relationship troubles?" she asked slyly.

"That is _none_ of your business!" Tenzin shouted. Korra's smile widened a little. She couldn't believe it, he had once been involved with Lin Bei Fong. And he still liked the heard-headed Metalbender, she could feel it! They would make a great couple too. He was kind and gentle, and she was stern and unapproachable. They balanced each other out, it was perfect! They had once been a couple, so what had happened? What made him marry Pema?

"Soo," she started out. "What happened between you guys?"

Tenzin looked away suddenly as Pema walked in the room. She grabbed something from the cupboard, shot an angry glance at Tenzin, then left. He threw his arms up in frustration. His wife had been eavesdropping the entire time. The Airbender walked suddenly from the room, away from everyone. He needed to think. What he really needed to do was to put his feelings about Lin to rest. Once he was sure that no one would find him, he sat down and meditated.


	4. Chapter 4

Lin had finally done it. She'd confronted Tenzin about his feelings for her. She expected him to beat around the bush, but he didn't at all. She remembered his exact words. "I will never stop loving you," he had said.

Instead of taking this to heart, Lin had reacted harshly. "You can not feel this way anymore, I forbid it. I don't feel these things, and neither should you!" she shouted.

"Don't tell me you don't feel anything, Lin!" he shouted, as his cloak rustled below him. His anger had escalated into this minor lack in his control over Airbending, which only infuriated him more. "I might just be the only person to see you for who you really are! Don't deny it. Who else have you ever let into your life this much? No one!"

"You know nothing of my life," she spat at him. "I have moved on, and it is best if you do so as well."

"If, by moving on, you mean having one night stands? Then of course you've moved on! You've moved on _several_times."

"You won't speak to me like this!" she screamed. The earth beneath Tenzin's feet suddenly rose up around his legs, locking him in a column of hard stone. It was then that Avatar Korra had entered the kitchen. Lin hastily released Tenzin, and looked away.

After a quick greeting, Lin made her way to the door. There was no need for the Avatar to be involved in her business. On her way out, she saw Pema in the hallway, smiling through gritted teeth. Lin stopped short and her heart lodged itself in her throat. Lin shuffled out of her way, but Pema moved in front of her.

"I don't want you to come back here ever again, do you understand me?" Pema hissed.

Lin raised her eyebrows. "What did you just say?" she said, standing tall over the plump pregnant woman.

Pema didn't falter. "Leave, Lin. You're not wanted here."

Lin's mouth twisted into a smirk. "It would appear your husband wants me here. Perhaps he is having second thoughts about leaving me for you. Maybe he's tired of having such an average woman for a wife."

"Get out!" Pema shrieked. Tenzin and Korra appeared in the doorway. Korra's face was a mixture of glee and horror as she watched the drama unfold.

"What's wrong?" Tenzin immediately asked.

"I was just talking to your dear wife," Lin said, "about how happy you and I would be together."

Tenzin's face hardened into an unreadable mask. "I think it's time for you to go, Lin."

Pema let out a triumphant laugh but Lin was taken aback. "What?" she asked. "After what you just said, you're throwing me out?"

"And what was it you just said, Tenzin?" Pema asked. The Airbender's face colored red.

"Nothing, that's not important right now," Tenzin said, desperation sneaking into his voice.

"Not important!" Pema echoed shrilly.

"Not important?" Lin repeated, shrinking away slightly. Tenzin made a move toward comforting her but stopped when Pema spoke.

"Oh Lin," Pema mocked. "Lin I will never stop loving you, please take me away from this horribly _average_ woman."

"Now I never said average," Tenzin defended. "Pema, please. You must give me time to get myself together. I had no intention of you hearing this private conversation between Lin and I."

"But you're not apologizing," Pema said quietly.

Tenzin paused, then let out a deep sigh. "No. I am not," he said.


	5. Chapter 5

Sitting in the back of a café, a woman with thin grey hair sipped tea from a painted cup. She idly examined the decorations in the shop, as if she had never been here before. But that was a lie; the Jasmine Dragon was one of her favorite tea shops. There were so many memories in this store. It was a quiet place, but not uncomfortably so. It had the perfect amount of people so that the silence wouldn't be deafening. Here, she could relax.

From her seat she had a direct view of the door. Every time the bell chimed, signaling the opening of the door, her eyes would quickly flick up, then back to her tea. Lin Bei Fong knew that he would come eventually. When they were dating, this had been one of their most frequented places to meet. After all, this shop was practically historical.

The bell above the door jingled, and Lin looked up as a man cloaked in warm colors approached. He sat down smoothly, and waved to one of the employees. The worker girl nodded, and went to prepare his usual cup. "Lin," he said, dipping his head in greeting.

"Tenzin," she acknowledged the taller man. "I didn't think I'd see you here."

"Where have you been the last few weeks?" he asked. "I haven't seen you in ages. When I went to see you in your office, I was denied entrance. 'She's not here,' they said. But my Lin wouldn't miss a day of her precious job, would she?"

"I did not wish to see you," she said, staring him directly in the eye.

"Is it because of the other day?" the Airbender asked. "Pema has calmed down, it was all a big misunderstanding."

"Was it though?" she asked, taking a sip from her flowered cup. "What was misunderstood: that you still have feelings for me, or that your wife has a problem with my presence?"

Tenzin let out a long sigh. "She doesn't hate you, Lin. I know that's what you think but she really doesn't. And as for that afternoon…" he trailed off.

"We can't keep doing this you know," Lin said heatedly.

"What?"

"This whole unrequited love thing. It has to stop."

The Metalbender wouldn't look at him now. There it was, right out in the open. She had finally said it. She hoped the words didn't come out as hollowly as she felt on the inside. In fact, she wanted the exact opposite of what she said.

"Unrequited!" Tenzin scoffed. "For the Avatar's sake will you stop pretending! If we're going to get anywhere with this—this thing," he shouted, grasping for words, "we have to acknowledge that we _both _feel this way. Why is that so hard for you to admit!"

"I will not admit it!" Lin shouted, getting red in the face. "Because there is nothing to admit!"

"Has all of our time together really meant _nothing_ to you?" he shouted, exasperated.

"Nothing?!" gasped Lin. "Of course it meant something, it meant the world to me, Tenzin! And dammit, you still do mean the world to me. But you've made your choice! So live with it. I've come to terms with it. Why haven't you?"

"Because I still love you!" he shouted. "I've never stopped loving you, and I never will. Don't you understand, I didn't want this! But we both have responsibilities, and sometimes duty has to come before family. I'm sorry, Lin. I'm sorry that I feel this way. I'm sorry that I'm in love with the most amazing woman I've ever met. Is that what you want to hear?"

Lin was quiet now. The café seemed to have come to a standstill. She struggled for words that just wouldn't come. "Tenzin," she said softly. But he wasn't listening. His face was buried in arms. The Police Chief watched him for a moment before getting up. Crouching slightly next to the mass of Airbender that was hunched over, hiding his face, on a table so small he looked almost comically disproportionate, Lin whispered:

"I'm sorry too," and kissed his cheek, lips barely brushing skin. She strode away briskly, wondering what came over her. Tenzin's head snapped up, looking around desperately. But Lin was already gone. His hand hovered over his cheek, as if he was afraid to touch it. A small smile found its way to his face.


End file.
